The present invention relates generally to vehicle seating and in particular to a seat system which provides flexibility in the use of the vehicle between transporting passengers and carrying cargo within the vehicle.
Vehicle manufacturers are constantly striving to increase the usefulness of motor vehicles. Doing so enables consumers to perform a greater variety of tasks with their vehicles. In many vehicles, the rear seating area is used more often for carrying cargo than it is for carrying passengers. This is particularly true in multipurpose passenger vehicles (MPV's) and sport utility vehicles (SUV's) having three rows of seats. The third row seat may be used for A passengers only in a few instances when a large number of passengers are being transported at a given time. Much of the time, the area occupied by the third row seat is used for carrying cargo. Thus, it is desirable to provide a seating system for such vehicles, particularly the third row seat, which can quickly and easily be changed from carrying passengers to carrying cargo in the vehicle.
One means to provide the desired flexibility between passengers and cargo in a vehicle is with seats that can be removed from the vehicle when not being used for passengers to increase the cargo carrying capacity of the vehicle. A difficulty with removable seats is that often the seats are heavy, making them difficult to lift and maneuver out of the vehicle. Accordingly, a need exists for a seat that can be conveniently stored within the vehicle and occupy a minimal amount of space therein to maximize the cargo carrying capability of the vehicle.